Art vs Science

[SakeMan]

Been away from OCAU for quite a while, however been doing plenty of shooting. Thought I'd post up some shots I took last Friday night, Art vs Science, supported by Tim and Jean, played a crazy show at the HiFi in West End to a sold out crowd.

I love their stuff and was blown away by how good they were live, awesome showmen.

Some photos, c&c very much appreciated :-)

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[pogue_mahone]

Nice stuff... were you the "official tog" for this? If so how do you get the press pass to get into the front pit and other area's?

[maslander]

Awesome photos i can't wait till they come over to WA in September. What were you shooting with?

[Sir.Eos]

amazing set, one of the best gig sets I've seen in awhile. Looks like quite an amzing venue as well.

The lasers in 6 look somewhat fake, not quite the word I'm looking for but do you know what I mean?

pogue_mahone normally you shoot for a publication, website, venue, band etc and you can get access to the photographers pit. If you want to get into it look at FasterLouder, that's who I do it for and they are quite good and easy to get into.

[Snobility]

Nice set, definitely feeling 1 4 9

[Squeezer]

Nice Set - favourite is #12

[Vrm]

The whole set rocks!!
The mood and colors of the gig have been well conveyed.

[SakeMan]

Wow, thanks for the comments :-)

Originally Posted by pogue_mahone

Nice stuff... were you the "official tog" for this? If so how do you get the press pass to get into the front pit and other area's?

I am one of the venue photographers for the HiFi, have been shooting for them for just under a year now, I have shot a couple of gigs for FL also, but didn't like their requirement on having to shoot punters etc...

Originally Posted by maslander

Awesome photos i can't wait till they come over to WA in September. What were you shooting with?

Thanks, this gig was shot with the 5DII and 85mm F/1.2L

Originally Posted by Sir.Eos

amazing set, one of the best gig sets I've seen in awhile. Looks like quite an amzing venue as well.

The lasers in 6 look somewhat fake, not quite the word I'm looking for but do you know what I mean?
.

Wow, thanks for that, yeah I agree with the lasers, I have a few of these shots and they all look very surreal, they did in real life also, only processing done was a bit of sharpening and noise reduction as well as pumping the fill light a touch.

Shot was taken while holding the camera up high at the rear balcony of the venue, would prefer it if it wasn't angled as it is but such is life

[csimpson]

Love the toning/DOF of 1, 3 and 8.

[disci]

Impressive work Stefan. It must feel rewarding when some good gear is matched by very nice, high quality images.

Thanks for sharing.

Regards

Des

[andysl]

Awesome set!!
Agree, the DOF in some of these is amazing!

Dam i want that combo, the colours etc are amazing!

[Jackolow]

Originally Posted by SakeMan

Wow, thanks for the comments :-)

Wow, thanks for that, yeah I agree with the lasers, I have a few of these shots and they all look very surreal, they did in real life also, only processing done was a bit of sharpening and noise reduction as well as pumping the fill light a touch.

The set is really fantastic. Actually quite motivational.!

So if you were to be honest, how much of the 'pop' factor (so the combination of sharpness, colour, composition, etc) is down to gear, PP, opportunity (access to areas to get the shots), general setting (so would each camera and their dog have photos similar to this) and camera skill (composition, correct camera settings).. and perhaps luck?

I'm curious to know because yeah I know a lot of people talk about most of the photos are down to the photographer... however I don't think there would be as much pop if you didn't have access to the areas and the equipment. In other words, how close can I get to taking photos as awesome as yours?

[[kane]]

Fantastic set -beautiful event photography.

Thanks
Kane

[SakeMan]

Originally Posted by [kane]

Fantastic set -beautiful event photography.

Thanks
Kane

Thank you Kane, coming from someone who's work I have long followed and admired this means a great deal

Originally Posted by Jackolow

The set is really fantastic. Actually quite motivational.!

So if you were to be honest, how much of the 'pop' factor (so the combination of sharpness, colour, composition, etc) is down to gear, PP, opportunity (access to areas to get the shots), general setting (so would each camera and their dog have photos similar to this) and camera skill (composition, correct camera settings).. and perhaps luck?

I'm curious to know because yeah I know a lot of people talk about most of the photos are down to the photographer... however I don't think there would be as much pop if you didn't have access to the areas and the equipment. In other words, how close can I get to taking photos as awesome as yours?

Love this question, I actually had to think about it a fair bit, I also just spent about 20 minutes forumlating a reply, then hit the 'back' button by accident and all was lost. Probably for the better as the reply was WAY too long.


how much of the 'pop' factor (so the combination of sharpness, colour, composition, etc) is down to gear

I believe gear is quite a significant factor when it comes to sharpness and colour in these shots, however you have to keep in mind I didn't just go out and buy the latest gear, I started out with a Minolta Film SLR when I was about 14, then after busting that and not having the $$ to repair I gave photography away for a few years, eventually buying a 350D with twin lens kit and working my way up from there.

Some old shots of mine taken with the 350D and 28-135IS in the crowd at Splendour 2007:

http://forums.overclockers.com.au/sh...lue+king+brown

The combo I am shooting with at the moment I find perfect for my style of gig photography, however it is also one of the trickiest lens/camera combo's I have shot with. The autofocus on the 5DII as many know is not that crash hot, combined with the ultra thin DOF the 85 can produce it makes it very tricky to get the focus right. When you do nail it though the results are awesome.

how much of the 'pop' factor (so the combination of sharpness, colour, composition, etc) is down to PP

PP in these shots hasn't got a whole lot to do with it, I don't think any of these are cropped (if so only minimal) and the only PP I have done were very basic quick adjustments in LR, from memory minimal sharpening, some noise reduction, and adjustments to blacks and fill light here and there. I think these took me about 20 mintues to process.

how much of the 'pop' factor (so the combination of sharpness, colour, composition, etc) is down to opportunity (access to areas to get the shots)

More than anything oportunity in this context would be to be able to go to gigs without having to pay for them out of your own pocket. The access I get at the gigs in some cases is the same as punters as not all gigs have photog pits. Also at least half of the shots above were taken from general areas anyone could have gone to, with a bit of effort, i.e. getting in the front row early most shots would have been able to be taken with regular access. In a lot of cases I simply ask to push in briefly and then make sure to thank the person that gave their space for a few minutes, I have never had any trouble with this approach. Also keep in mind photogs generally only get 3 songs to work with in the pit.

how much of the 'pop' factor (so the combination of sharpness, colour, composition, etc) is down to general setting (so would each camera and their dog have photos similar to this)

Not really too sure what you mean by this one, I guess if you are talking about the general mood on the night, yes that has a lot to do with it, especially in the crowd shots, a full house will make it tricky for you to get around but will also make for great shots.

how much of the 'pop' factor (so the combination of sharpness, colour, composition, etc) is down to camera skill (composition, correct camera settings)..

Has a fair bit to do with it, every time I do a shoot, be it in music, motorsport, weddings (something brand new to me and a major stab in the dark at the moment) or just hanging out with mates I learn something new. Believe it or not this was actually the first gig I have shot in full manual, before then the technique that worked for me was to shoot in shutter priority, set the ISO to 2500 and let the camera do the rest. This got some good results and I was hesitant to go and shoot in manual as I was too afraid to muck up the whole set if it didn't pan out right. I am glad I gave this a go as it wasn't as daunting as I thought and it simply takes the guess work that the camera does (and gets wrong alot) out of the equasion. I ended up with less shots all up but with a lot more keepers.

how much of the 'pop' factor (so the combination of sharpness, colour, composition, etc) is down to luck.

Luck if you are looking at the overall set has little to do with it. However if you are talking individual shots, the ones that stand out to you and you keep in mind will be built largely on it. It's just the right situation that came together and you just happened to capture it perfectly. It happens rarely but when it does it makes a nice shot something special.

How close can I get to taking photos as awesome as yours?

There are plenty of very very talented photogs out there, I have had plenty of inspiration from online forums and photogs like Benon Koebsch in SA for example, lots of people I look up to.

What you do with that inspiration and your own passion and drive will decide on what your work will be like.

By no means would I call myself a professional photographer, sadly I don't make near enough money out of it yet to justify quitting my day job, however the dream that I might be able to one day is what keeps me going and keeps the drive to improve alive.

[bradrogers]

Newbie question, first time posting here, but I'm in love with #6. Being involved in a bit of nightclub photography myself, I'd LOVE to know how you froze those lasers so well? A couple of clubs I frequent can't get enough of their lasers, and I reckon they'd make for some great shots (if I could get them clear enough). Ie, what config did you use on that one??